Inside Vivek Ramaswamy's intense, high-maintenance, and highly air-conditioned empire

Former staff say Vivek Ramaswamy got rich in finance and pharma before declaring war on "wokeness" He's known to be finicky and paranoid, and treat staff more like servants than workers, former staff say.

He has proposed gutting the Federal Reserve , increasing reliance on fossil fuels and pegging the dollar to gold, silver, and agricultural commodities.

Ramaswamy's campaign disputed characterization of him as entitled and unusually demanding.

He founded the pharmaceutical company Roivant at age 28 , despite having limited experience in drug development.

People who worked there said he fostered an environment more akin to a fast-moving tech startup than a pharmaceutical company.

Ramaswamy's 2015 tax returns show $37 million in capital gains.

He made $18.8 million more from 2016 to 2019 .

Critics see him as a hype man, wielding megawatt smile and "debate me" rapid-fire eloquence to pump the value of his companies.